How much for pin lanyard? Worth it for DD10?

[frannn]

Purchased several pins on ebay for DD and I to trade. This will be her first pin trading experience- it is a surprise. I don't know much myself, as it will only be my second time trading. We will both probably only trade with CMs. I didn't use a lanyard last time because it was easier to just hold my pins in my bag. We will also be hauling a Pal Mickey on a bottle strap. How much is the lanyard at WDW? Is it better to get one off ebay, or just have DD hold her pins in one of our bags? She will be 11 at the time of the trip. I don't want to have her lose the pins or be uncomfortable wearing them, and I hate spending more $ after buying all those pins (wow, they really add up!)
Also, I was so excited to be able to pick whatever pin I wanted off the CMs lanyards, that I began looking at a lot of CMs pins all day. Is that hassling them? I hate to be a pain, but it was fun to pull out my DS and ebay pins and trade something from a WDW CM! Even if it wasn't a WDW pin, to me, it was still a WDW souvenier.
Thanks!

 

[pamluvsdisney]

I don't remember how much the lanyards are at Disney. Last weekend I got a "It's a small world" pink lanyard for $3.99 at one of the Belz outlets. If your daughter likes Small World it is really cute.

HTH

 

[maggiew]

I've seen some plain lanyards at Wal Mart for pretty cheap ($1.99 or $2.99). I have also seen some at Claires (that girly barretts and trinket place). AT our schools in the area the kids need to wear ID badges all day once they reach middle school (6th grade) so lots of kids wear them on lanyards around their necks. So, lots of stores in the area carry them.

Our first trip that we traded pins, my DDs wore their lanyards. But after awhile they became heavy and hot. We found it easier to keep all the trader pins in a baggie in my fanny pack. When the girls wanted to trade, I just took one out of the bag and we traded. If we traded for a pin that we wanted to keep (sometimes my DD likes to trade just for the fun of it) we would put the "keeper" pin on the lanyard. But I kept the lanyard in my fanny pack.

So, it may be fun for your daughter to wear the lanyard for awhile. But she may get tired of it really quickly. If you can find a lanyard cheap enough, it may be worth it just for that short time. If not, you might just want to do the baggie thing.

Maggie

 

[swilshire]

We tried lanyards for the kids and they didn't really work out all that well. They were always taking them off and handing them to me to hold when they rode rides.

Then I bought my DS10 a pin trading waistbag. I got it on eBay. Think it was around $16, then I saw them at the Disney Welcome Center in Ocala for about that same price. Anyway, he didn't like wearing that either, but I did. I carried the pins for the smaller ones. Trading with CMs you don't really have to have them out and displayed like you would if you were trading with other individuals.

I have also just carried some in a pocket in my purse and DH pins some to his shirt for trading. I saw several folks with them on their baseball caps, but DH thought that would be annoying.

Sheila

 

[firemist]

I want to try to the pin trading but was wondering is it better just to purchase at the park and trade ( cm only probly ) or is it better to purchase from ebay? i think ebay is around 3.5 a pin after S/H.

 

[Az Pirates]

My kids really like the pin trading as well. I think the longest any of them has worn a lanyard around their neck has been maybe 10 minutes max!
Just keeping them in the fanny pack works best for us.
If you have pal mickey on a bottle strap - maybe you could put a few pins on there.

 

[anewvance]

My girls 4 and 3 did pin trading for the first time on our trip a few weeks ago. They really truely enjoyed it and got some very nice pins, all their choices. I agree though that the longest the lanyards were worn at one time was about 10 minutes, easier to just keep in the bag. The cm's were always very nice about trading and my 4 year old was SO funny because without me knowing she would iniciate her own trades with cm's, to cute!

 

[buzz2400]

We don't bother with the lanyard. Heard a lot of people saying that pins were coming off. I put ours in my fanny pack. One thing that happened last trip and was very upsetting to ds. We came across a cm that had the green lanyard on (for kids only). I handed a pin to my ds to trade and the cm would not trade. He claimed I was trading with him. I argued with the cm for awhile but then just gave up and fumed for the remainder of the day. So what I am trying to suggest is if the adult is holding the pins and a child sees a pin on a green lanyard that he wants to trade, don't let the cm see you hand the child the pin. The cm was a big jerk about it, I even told him that I was holding everything because my son had a cast on. the cm did not care at all.

 

[swilshire]

I think I would have written to Disney about the cast member being nasty. I have done the exact same thing with no problem. I handed DS the pin and he pointed to the pin he selected. Not a problem.

My DS10 is disappointed that he is too old now to go to the green lanyards.

Sheila

 

[DNSDisney]

I think we may try a hat next time we go. they wear the hats easier than the laynards at least i am hoping.
We had trouble with the backs coming off the underside of the laynard, luckily didn't lose any pins though.
I am going to get DD and DN each one of those slouchy beach type hats and see if it works better.

 

[Straitlover]

How about trying the bucket hats? Isn't there room between the top of the hat and the top of your head? You could also pin them to the brim, but that's not good if you're worried about the backs coming loose.

I volunteer w/ NC Senior Games, and there are serious pin traders in it. A lot of them go w/ tote bags and vests, but thy're 55 and older - LOL!

 

[maggiew]

Originally posted by swilshire
I think I would have written to Disney about the cast member being nasty. I have done the exact same thing with no problem. I handed DS the pin and he pointed to the pin he selected. Not a problem.

My DS10 is disappointed that he is too old now to go to the green lanyards.

Sheila

How old is too old??? I didn't realize this and maybe my DD11 traded with a green lanyard CM???? I can't remember if any of the CMs were green.

Maggie

 

[kellycole]

WOW! This is a great thread!!

I didn't know about the green lanyards. I would like to know the age limit as well. I have a DD 10 and a DS 8. This is our second Disney trip coming up and first time trading pins.

I have bought pins off of ebay so far and the average price seemed to run between $3.50 and $4.50. Shipping was usually $2. Give or take. I must not be very good at bidding. If anyone has any tips for me I would appreciate it.

Is there any other newbie info for pin trading? Can you trade any pin you have with a CM? Are there certain ones they won't take from you?

THANKS!!

 

[elgerber]

My kids must be in the minority, but they do wear their lanyards. They started at 4 and 7 with the "my first pins" lanyards, but this last trip, 7 and 10, I bought them new adult size ones, they were softer and they held a lot more. My kids wear them most of the day, they might leave them at the hotel if we go just for Illuminations or something, but they did wear them most of the time.

Also, if you have Pal Mickey on a bottle strap, you could put pins on there too. Just make sure to check on the pin backs now and then.

Erika

 

[prncess674]

It seems like I was in the minority. I loved wearing my pin lanyard. I had inexpensive pins that i got on sale at the Disney store and then traded away with CM's. I loved the attention I got from other guests in line asking to look at my collection.

my friend said I looked like a dork with my pins but it was SOOO much fun. Here is a picture of me at the IBM video postcard machine with my dorky pin lanyard.

 

[HaleyB]

Ebay bidding advice-
Bid on lots (as in groups of more than one) and lots (as in often). Bid on weekdays and look for auctions that end at odd times. I just won my first pin lot for $22 plus $4 s/h, the lot was 10 pins. So that works out to $2.60 each!
My DD and DS each ave a few pins but have never traded before. I know my son will love it, he is extreamly outgoing. My DD is very shy and I am hopeing she will trade... if not I am sure older brother will help her out. I think it should work out well because my son will like the interaction more than the pins and my daughter the pins more than the interaction. If they don't enjoy it I know someone who will...

 

[swilshire]

Re: the green lanyards

They are designed for kids through age 9. I doubt most CMs would say anything unless the child was way over 9. My DS10 just made it a point to always tell them that he was 10 and couldn't trade with them when his younger brother did.

Sheila

 

[Sunbeamblue2002]

I also have a question regarding this. My daughter wants to keep her pin that I have for her on her fanny pack. But I thought that you had to have a lanyard in order to trade. If that would be ok then I'll just save the $$ for something else. However do you think that they could be easly lost or damaged if she did this. She is semi adventious when it come to rides so I don't know if this would work or not? Thanks in advance for the advice.

Sunbeamblue2002

 

[ZuZugal]

On our second to last day of our trip, my son took his FULL OF PINS lanyard off before the parade at EPCOT and put it next to him. Of course we walked off w/o it! He loved to trade, just couldn't stand waring it. He always handed it to me shen he took it off but I was off buying a drink for the kids and he didn't hand it to my DH.

As soon as we realized it was missing, we dashed off to our parade seat. Gone. I gave a full desription at EPCOT's lost & found. I didn't wait for them to call, I checked in twice a day w/them. They said if it is not turned in by end of the evening when it was lost there is really no hope.

So my suggestion is, have a backup to the lanyard. A fanny pack, hat, something. My son will be wearing a very lightweight hat next time around.

 

[ontariodisneywoman]

Maybe make a small Pin Book for her.
Felt is great for this then you can hole punch the felt, tie it together with ribbons and she can keep it in a fanny pack. Maybe make it just big enough to hold 6-10 pins at a time.